8,800 passengers evacuated from flooded railway line
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-07-18 14:39
More than 8,800 passengers have been evacuated after
they were stranded along the flooded Beijing-Guangzhou railway line for about 40
hours.
Villagers stand by the flowing Beijiang River
in Qingyuan, south China's Guangdong Province, July 17, 2006. Heavy
rainfall caused by tropical storm Bilis hit the upper reaches of the river
earlier. The ensuing floods submerged farms and houses along the river in
Qingyuan. [Xinhua] |
Rainstorms and floods in the aftermath of the severe tropical storm Bilis cut
off the Meicun-Pingshi railway section in southern China's Guangdong Province on
Saturday night, stranding passengers on five trains in the capital city of
Guangzhou.
The water level had risen to over a meter above the train tracks, rescuers
said.
Food and water have been provided for the passengers and more than 10,000
workers have been mobilized to repair the track.
Four of the stranded trains and an additional one had managed to depart from
the flood-hit area by Monday afternoon.
The flooding has also affected some 100 trains in Hubei Province, with four
trains suspended. Local railway departments have been working hard to evacuate
passengers and repair tracks.
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